May 20, 2025 Newsletter
In This Edition:
1. Parent's Corner: Parents Can Just Say No to APS iPads
2. Teacher's Lounge: Teachers Need Real Change from APS Human Resources
3. School Board Caucus Results
4. What We're Reading & Listening to This Week
5. APS To Remove iPads in PreK & K
6. School Board Meeting Recap
7. Happening Soon
Parents Corner: Parents Can Just Say No
to APS-Issued Devices
(Editor's Note: From time to time we publish op-eds, which are the unedited perspectives of APS parents, teachers, or community members on a topic of interest or concern to APS.)
Believe it or not, there's a simple solution to managing device use in our classrooms—and it doesn’t require a committee or board vote. It can be as easy as emailing your child's teacher(s) and requesting that the device no longer be used for non-essential activities.
I did this for my 3rd-grade daughter, and I wish I had done it sooner. She struggles with anxiety and attention issues, and apps like Lexia and Reflex were only increasing her stress. Because she moves at a slower pace, she often made limited progress on these platforms. On some days, Lexia would drop her to a lower level, leaving her in tears. She also missed out on collaborative, hands-on learning with her peers and felt further discouraged hearing other students boast about completing all the levels. It was damaging to her confidence and her overall well-being.
The breaking point came when she came home in tears—again. I realized this had been going on since first grade, and it wasn’t fair. I finally emailed her teachers to say that we no longer approved the use of the iPad, except for state-mandated testing or research for specific assignments. The response from her team of teachers was pleasant and our wishes have been happily respected. While her peers are using their devices she is given non-digital enrichment activities to choose from, or a similar assignment in the subject area the iPad is being used for.
Many parents, both publicly vocal and quiet, have expressed concern over APS device use, especially in grades K–5. They're worried about devices replacing teacher instruction, stressful educational apps, unmonitored screen time, and the impact on mental health. My daughter also told me that iPads are often used for free time after finishing work or during indoor recess. This sends mixed messages. With the new “Away for the Day” cell phone policy, what does it say when students are still given school-issued devices to use during breaks? Are we encouraging less screen time or not?
I understand that as students move into middle and high school, devices become more necessary. Still, middle-schoolers should be doing most of their work offline, with devices used only when truly needed. High-schoolers will use their computers for much more, but there needs to be more enhanced security and the inability to "jailbreak" these devices that allow uncensored and unrestricted access to the internet. Also having an APS high school student has allowed me to see that access firsthand.
Ultimately, every parent should feel empowered to advocate for how—and when—their child uses school-issued devices. Especially for our youngest learners, it’s okay to say, “This isn’t working for my child.” Hopefully, if more parents make this request, we will see a change and APS will move away from the overuse of devices in the classrooms.
From the Teacher's Lounge: Teachers Need to See Real Change from APS Human Resources
(Editor's Note: From time to time we publish op-eds, which are the unedited perspectives of APS parents, teachers, or community members on a topic of interest or concern to APS.)
At last Thursday's school board meeting, there was an HR monitoring report where leadership spent some time on the usual cheerleading, then spent a breathtaking amount of time on what employees have been saying for years: HR had failed employees and needs to be overhauled. They shared what they had already fixed and gave next steps with timelines and benchmarks. Many in the public were familiar with the Kaiser disaster of 2023, but behind that was a system of failures where, for a time, employees couldn't get answers to basic questions, let alone urgent matters like FMLA. Hiring and onboarding also became a disaster, causing APS to frustrate (and probably lose some) potential candidates. Finally, if employees complained about HR, those complaints were dismissed, delaying the desperately needed overhaul.
HR has promised a reset, and claims it is now "fully staffed" to do so. So, as one educator, I need your help. HR may not seem like a department parents should be concerned about; however, it is a core function that, when it fails, prevents teachers (and everyone else in the system) from doing their best work for Arlington's children. It needs to function well so I can too. So, beginning in the fall, if you hear an employee lamenting an HR failure and they don't feel comfortable (or worse, have given up) sharing that failure with a school board member, please take the initiative and tell the board what you are hearing "in the community". If it is bad enough to share with a parent, it isn't likely going in the direction the board has hoped for.
During the meeting leadership promised to stagger HR employee hours so that HR could have more coverage in hours when teachers weren't in front of students. This would be very helpful. One board member asked about having some limited hours during holiday breaks so employees (and potential employees) could move forward with more complex paperwork; I hope that happens too.
I want to believe that leadership can be successful with this overhaul, but employees—myself included—have been burned badly and that trust will need rebuilding.
Read the APS Auditor's HR report.
Read the HR Presentation from last week.
Additional coverage of the HR Audit report can be found at Arlnow.
Monique Bryant Wins Arlington Democrats
School Board Endorsement Caucus
On May 10, voting concluded for the school board endorsement caucus run by the Arlington Democrats. Monique "Moe" Bryant won the vast majority of votes, with 69% of caucus-goers voting for her. Only 1,870 votes were cast, representing merely 1.1% of the registered voters in Arlington. So far, only Major Webb has filed to run as an independent against Bryant in the general election in the fall to replace Mary Kadera, current School Board Chair, who will be stepping down after one term.
Read more coverage at ArlNow.
What We’re Reading and Listening To
Nobody Wants to Be Responsible for Dismal K-12 Test Scores (NYTimes)
Standardized testing isn’t perfect…[b]ut there is evidence that without standardized testing, parents have little awareness of their children’s deficits, in part because of grade inflation—over the past few decades, test scores have gone down while grades have gone up. This issue, which predated the pandemic, is known as ‘the honesty gap.’
How to Show True Teacher Appreciation - Pay Them More (Chad AldemanSubstack)
[A]verage teacher salaries have hovered right around $70,000, in inflation-adjusted terms, since about 1990. While other college-educated professionals have seen their incomes go up over time, teachers have not…Could [school boards] reconfigure their benefits packages to shift more compensation toward [teacher] base salaries? The research suggests workers prefer $1,000 in cash rather than $1,000 in in-kind benefits.
As ‘Grading for Equity’ Movement Grows, More Teachers Are Pushing Back (WSJ)
[Grading for Equity founder Joe] Feldman freely acknowledges that he didn’t invent this approach entirely. Versions have existed for decades, often known as mastery-based grading. His masterstroke was rebranding and refocusing the concept around equity…Further, [a teacher-critic] couldn’t find any proof in Feldman’s book that equitable grading works...“It’s really more theory than it is research.”...Feldman acknowledges the evidence base is nascent. He flips the question on its head. “I haven’t found any data that shows that the current system is better.”
The Southern Surge: The Untold Hopeful Story on Literacy (Podcast)
Karen Vaites, a curriculum expert, highlights the bright spots in the NAEP national report card in literacy in perhaps surprising places— Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Alabama. She talks how they did it, with LA and MS going from absolute bottom of the pack to 1 and 2 in results for underprivileged kids. It’s inspiring! Why isn’t it being covered more by national media? Listen and pass it on!
See something that strikes a chord? Join the discussion on our Facebook page!
Breaking News: APS Will Remove iPads
from PreK & Kindergarten Grade Classrooms
In a budget memorandum dated May 9, Superintendent Durán and his staff communicated to the School Board about their decision to remove the 1:1 device policy for Arlington's youngest children. Citing the fact that "the primary use of iPads were for Lexia and Dreambox," the administration said they would remove iPads at these grade levels and instead "purchasing hard copy interventions."
We applaud APS for its engagement on this important topic over the last two years. The Superintendent and School Board have listened to the many concerns our community has expressed about whether tablets are developmentally appropriate and effective for young children. The memorandum adds that APS will reconsider iPads in the rest of elementary school grades, saying they "will return to the staff and parents regarding the use of devices in grades 1-5."
Read more about the budget and upcoming policies in the FY26 Budget Questions.
May 15th School Board Meeting Recap
Highlights from the May 1st School Board Meeting include:
APS adopted its Fiscal Year 2026 School Board Budget totaling $844,630,043. The School Board’s FY 2026 budget requires an on-going County Transfer of $647,381,777, a Beginning Balance or Carry Forward of $4,000,000, and funding from Reserves of $16,353,282, broken into the following:
The School Operating Fund at a total of $702,468,764, requiring an ongoing County transfer of $565,170,599, a beginning balance or carry forward of $3,500,000 and funding from reserves of $12,951,864.
The Community Activities Fund at a total of $21,991,573, requiring a County transfer of $7,460,515.
The Debt Service Fund at a total of $68,907,770, requiring a County transfer of $68,100,012 and funding from reserves of $807,758.
The Food and Nutrition Services Fund at a total of $15,036,007, requiring a County transfer of $0 and a beginning balance, or carry forward, of $500,000.
After significant community feedback, the School Board voted on whether to change the current school calendar by making June 6 a no-school day because of a shift in the timing of Eid. Two board members voted no (Clark & Turner), one voted yes (Zecher-Sutton), and two abstained from the vote (Kadera & Zapia-Hadley); the change therefore did not pass and June 6 will be a school day as planned.
Additional coverage of the meeting can be found at ArlNow.
Read ArlNow's coverage of the calendar vote.
Happening Soon
Thursday, May 22 6:30–8:00 PM
ACPD’s Spring 2025 Quarterly Community Meetings. Arlington Mill Community Center, Room 527, Sides A+B, 909 S. Dinwiddie St. Join on Teams.
Thursday, May 29 Work Sessions
2:45 PM Work Session on Inclusive Practices (Special Education). Syphax Education Center, 2110 Washington Blvd. Watch live.
6:30 PM Work Session on Advisory Committee End-of-the-Year Reports with ACTL, SAB, BAC, and FAC. Syphax Education Center, 2110 Washington Blvd. Watch live.
Thursday, June 5, 7:00–10:00 PM
School Board Meeting. Syphax Education Center, 2110 Washington Blvd. Watch live.
Tuesday, June 10, 6:30 PM
Work Session on the Pre-Capital Improvement Plan (CIP). Syphax Education Center, 2110 Washington Blvd. Watch live.
Tuesday, June 10, 7:00-9:00 PM
Arlington Special Education Advisory Committee (ASEAC) Meeting. In-person and virtual, location TBD. Sign up form.
Thursday, June 12, 7:00–10:00 PM
School Board Meeting. Syphax Education Center, 2110 Washington Blvd. Watch live.
Monday, June 9, 6:30–8:30 PM
Facilities Advisory Council (FAC) Meeting. Location TBD. More info.
